A group of Tennessee lawmakers are condemning Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell for publicly leaking the names of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and their interactions with local law enforcement and emergency services.
Earlier this month, O’Connell amended his Executive Order 30 to mandate that Metro Nashville employees report contacts with federal immigration officials to him and the Office of New Americans.
💥 BOMBSHELL:
Thanks to the work of @KarenAFox17, my office has uncovered evidence that Mayor Freddie O’Connell publicly leaked the names of DHS and HSI officials working with Davidson County on immigration enforcement.
The information is posted on an official Nashville… pic.twitter.com/GwVLiEyW3B
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) May 28, 2025
On Wednesday, Fox 17 journalist Karen Aguilar reported that the Office of New Americans published the names of ICE officials and their interactions with local agencies on its official Metro government website.
Shortly after Fox 17’s reporting, the mayor’s office said it has since removed “any names mistakenly included in the information posted online.”
U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) said the Office of New Americans’ leaking of names and official business of ICE officials puts the agents “in serious danger” and exposes local law enforcement to “unnecessary scrutiny and targeting.”
“MS-13 and other transnational gangs could easily use this as intel for their operations,” Ogles added.
Ogles also said during an interview with One America News that a couple of “very highly decorated members of law enforcement” reached out to him expressing concerns about the mayor’s executive order and other efforts in support of illegal aliens.
It is dangerous and reckless for @freddieoconnell to release information that puts federal, state, and local law enforcement officers in harm’s way. Criminal illegal aliens should be deported. Removing gangs, rapists, predators, and murderers from our communities makes…
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) May 29, 2025
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) also condemned O’Connell’s actions, saying it is “dangerous and reckless” for the mayor to release such information, adding that it “puts federal, state, and local law enforcement officers in harm’s way.”
“Criminal illegal aliens should be deported. Removing gangs, rapists, predators, and murderers from our communities makes Tennesseans safer, and it is common sense,” Blackburn said.
Tennessee State Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) said he has asked Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti about the state’s options “to address the Mayor putting law enforcement in harm’s way.”
The Nashville Mayor is protecting illegal aliens and gang members over his constituents.
At a time when our ICE officers are facing a 413% increase in assaults, Mayor O'Connell is doxxing the names of law enforcement agents removing criminal illegal aliens from his city.… pic.twitter.com/bKB0Ed3HSE
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 29, 2025
With regard to O’Connell’s office claiming the published data was a “mistake,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin rejected such a claim, adding that she hopes the mayor “faces consequences” for his efforts which she said puts ICE agents in harm’s way.
“There’s zero chance it was a mistake and there will be repercussions. Our ICE enforcement officers are already facing a 413% increase in assaults against them and [O’Connell’s] essentially handing over intelligence to these criminal gangs so they can target our ICE enforcement officers. It’s wrong and it’s beneath the city of Nashville. I hope he will face consequences,” McLaughlin said.
O’Connell’s efforts to shield illegal aliens from law enforcement – including his amended executive order and launch of a “Belonging Fund” to “support immigrants in Nashville during moments of crisis” – came after a joint immigration enforcement operation conducted by ICE in conjunction with the Tennessee Highway Patrol in Nashville resulted in the arrests of 196 criminal illegal aliens.
The mayor’s efforts have since caught the attention of border czar Tom Homan, who said he plans to visit Nashville in the “near future” to oversee increased immigration enforcement operations in response to O’Connell’s pushback.
An investigation by the U.S. House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees has since been launched into O’Connell efforts to determine “whether or not federal dollars have been used in criminal enterprise” with regard to Metro’s ties to the “Belonging Fund” and if the mayor is obstructing official ICE business through his executive order.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
“…mistakenly released?” How about the names he intentionally released?
If you talk to a lot of metro police officers, they are totally embarrassed and fed up with his policies. He is clueless when it comes to public safety.
Freddie is not in the side of legal action, should be removed.
O’Connell wants to get these people killed through doxxing. Arrest him NOW!